A sneak peek into everything planned our Virtuoso Travel Tech Summit

It is hard to believe that our 3rd annual Virtuoso Travel Tech Summit is just 5 days away!! Many have asked me for a sneak peek...well here it is!!

So many incredible innovators and innovations with in!!

DATE & LOCATION: Saturday, August 10th, Aria Primrose 2,3 - East, Level 3 | 9AM – 1PM

Opening Keynote - Themes and Trends in Travel Technology - Gilad Berenstein - in my opening talk I aim to set the table and to share the key themes and trends I am paying attention to in the world of travel technology. This year I will pre-record the full version of my talk and send it to you in the coming week as a pre-read (or pre-watch) for the event. This will enable me to give a summary version of the themes and trends on stage to save more time for our guests and innovators. In addition to my talk, the video will include a couple of short segments from friends who are at the vanguard of daily utilization of AI. Please check it out. This year's themes include AI, Travelization of Finance, Social Commerce, the Connected Trip, Agency Tech, Travel Perspectives, and more. 

Watch here!

Special Guests on the Connected Trip & Travelization of Finance - Shane O'Flaherty of Microsoft & Richard Kerr of Bilt Rewards  - like last year I will be joined on stage by a couple of friends to share their own work and learnings within these key trends. Microsoft's Shane O'Flaherty will be back with us to share the work Microsoft is doing with AI and the Connected Trip. And Richard Kerr will share with us more about Bilt, one of the fastest-growing FinTechs in America, and why travel is at the core of their strategy.

Artificial Intelligence Member Panel (Agency Owner/Executive) - Jake Peters of Fora Travel , Katie Robertson of 360 Private Travel , Janet Semenova of Boutique Travel Advisors , & George Balogh of Blue Skies Travel - Over the past 2 years at our Summits we have focused on AI innovations taking place outside of the Virtuoso Network to learn and benefit from the wisdom of others and this year we will see many more great AI Startups and innovators during our Startup Showcase. In addition, this year we are thrilled to highlight AI innovators and innovations being developed within our own Network by our friends and colleagues. During this panel, we will dive into areas where our Members see the most promising short-term opportunities and learn about AI development within luxury travel businesses. Thanks to the Great Commoditization of AI through which we are living, we can all use AI, not just 'the big guys'.

Leading Hospitality Academics Fireside - Dean Michael Chen of FIU Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management & Professor Chris K Anderson of Cornell University Hotel School, and Robert Rippee, Ph.D. of UNLV William F. Harrah College of Hospitality - In most industries that prioritize and value innovation there are deep links and connections between the business and academic sectors and communities but for some reason, this is largely untrue in the Travel and Hospitality industry. At this year’s Summit we will try to find out why and how we on the business and tech side of the industry can benefit from the work being done at our top Hospitality Schools. We will also learn about the key themes and trends they are paying attention to and what Graduates from their Universities are focused on as the future leaders of our industry. 

Virtuoso Spotlight - Travis McElfresh SVP Digital at Virtuoso Travel – We will hear from Travis as he shares insights into the ongoing digital transformation at Virtuoso. Travis will highlight the development and significance of the Virtuoso Technology Ecosystem, discuss recent trends and partnerships, and explore how these innovations enhance the experience for member agency owners, advisors, preferred supplier partners, and third-party developers. We will learn about the successes in integrating new technologies and the exciting future developments that will continue to drive Virtuoso's growth and success.

AI's Impact on Consumer Expectations & Early Insights into a Future of Infinite Product Permutations - Carolyn Corda of Deloitte  - Our friend Carolyn will be back with us to share data and advice collected and given by Deloitte to their clients and top leaders across our industry on the impact of AI on consumers and their expectations from brands. Additionally, Carolyn, who has been a long-time thought leader within our space, will share a few early considerations about a future where not just the itinerary but most pieces of inventory are dynamic and personalizable. 

Venture Capital Investor Panel - Cara Whitehill of Thayer Ventures , Betsy Mulé of F-Prime Capital , and Meryem Aydin C. of Amadeus Ventures - We will close out our main stage segment by bringing back our Venture Capital Investor panel. The job of a VC is to look several years into the future trying to identify those nascent innovations that will both drive value across our sector and build sustainable business models to push our industry forward. We will ask our VC Investor guests to share with us what they are focused on, where they are deploying capital, and what innovations and themes they seek to invest in over the coming years. This sneak peek into their crystal ball will help us assess where our industry and businesses may be heading and what innovations we may expect.

Startup Showcase Deep Dive Sessions

As always one of the highlights of our Tech Summit is the Startup Showcase where we engage with founders and innovators taking on big risks to innovate within our industry and build the future. Meeting with founders is not only enlightening and energizing but is the best way for us to see what innovation looks like in real-time. These Deep Dives give us the opportunity to be early adopters and more importantly, early mentors to help guide these innovations to the benefit of the founders, our network, and our industry as a whole. As together is the best way to build the future!

Agency, Advisor, & Hotel Technology + AI

As I love to remind us all, AI is a set of tools and like with any other set of tools, selecting the right tool for a given project is half the battle. One of my goals this year is to highlight different types of AI and a variety of use cases. Seeing AI utilized in unique and different ways will empower all of us to think creatively about our own businesses and the opportunities ahead.

In this Deep Dive Startup Showcase, we will hear from and engage with...

• Mindtrip, Inc. - one of the most exciting and most written about GenAI trip planning Startup at the moment. Mind Trip will give us a deep view into the utilization of Generative AI to help travelers discover and plan trips, all with a deep focus on proprietary content, data, and insights from a given agency, advisor, or creator. 
• The Trip Boutique AI - is laser-focused on 1 to 1 AI recommendations based on a specific traveler, advisor, agency and their individual trip preferences and insights. Different from the generic recommendations that can be provided by GenAI, Trip Boutique is purpose-built for advisors and agencies who want the power of AI but strictly within their own knowledge and content.
• GuestOS - is using AI for customer service in a unique and differentiated way. Their AI learns about a hotel or other travel offering by reading your content, data, and past interactions with guests in order to provide highly specific answers and recommendations to travelers.
• TravelWits  – in addition to their booking engine, TravelWitz has some fascinating AI technology to help with package recommendations and yield management for the benefit of all involved. They will show us how to use AI to create additional value for the traveler while earning more commission and optimizing the entire booking flow.
• Travel Genius – is another great example of a different type of AI use case. Travel Genius uses Computer Vision to scan a property, ship, and any other type of physical space to provide highly detailed information that can be used to answer specific questions and inform travelers of the realities and details of their trip. Anything from the feel, the ambiance, the furnishing, to mobility questions, and other needs. This creates an opportunity to use AI to answer questions that most travel providers have historically struggled to answer at scale.

Social Commerce + Visual AI & VR

Social Commerce is changing the way younger travelers engage with brands, ideas, and the web at large. As the CEO of Globe Thrivers, one of our featured startups, described how when she needs a recipe for dinner, new décor for her home, ideas for her next trip, or simply looking for entertainment - social is always the first, and usually only, stop.

 In this Deep Dive Startup Showcase, we will hear from and engage with...

·   Joyned  – an early pioneer in the arena of Travel Social Commerce, Joyned enables travel companions to plan together on a given travel website; keeping travelers engaged with a given brand. Today, Joyned is pioneering a new concept called Social Revenue which goes much deeper than some of the Gen 1 Social Commerce platforms.

·   Greether – a trip discovery and planning platform that utilized a local ‘Bestie’ to help female travelers dream, discover, and plan. Once on the ground, the Bestie is there to support, answer questions, and provide advice to help maximize the trip.

·  @Hotel – is going to show us all that the conventional wisdom, which is that travel bookings do not happen on social media, is flat out wrong. @Hotels is the leading travel seller on Social Media and a true innovator in travel discovery and storytelling. There is a lot we can all learn from their innovation.

· Globe Thrivers – is a platform that enables organic communities of travelers to be formed with all the social tools needed and expected by the Zillennial Traveler. With both B2C and B2B elements, there is so much both agencies and travel brands can learn from this organic approach to the next generation of traveler.

· Feeel VR – Feeel uses Virtual Reality, along with 2D technology, to help a travel advisor or their client get a real ‘feel’ for the property they will soon visit. Feeel will share with us how to use VR and imagery to tell a story that engages and increases conversion rates and traveler satisfaction.

Travel Perspectives + Optimization

Travelers come in all shapes and sizes and with an endless array of needs and desires. As hospitality providers we strive to serve and care for them all. In this deep dive we will see how leading startups care for these travelers and how we can collect more data to do even better.

In this Deep Dive Startup Showcase, we will hear from and engage with...

·  Wheel the World– the world’s leading travel startup focused on access for the massive market of travelers with disabilities. They will share their story and innovation with us so we can learn how they combine modern tech and age-old hospitality to better care for travelers.

·  IntimacyMoons Couples Retreats – is a travel and retreat company that focuses on a segment of the market of travelers who wish to gain mental and psychological wellness through travel. They will share insights and innovation with us to show how to care for travelers who want more than a good time from their trips.

·  Winnow – helps hotels and other venues where food is served tackle sustainable reduction of waste; a critical mission for an ever-growing segment of travelers who care deeply for sustainability and reduction of waste. Winnow will demonstrate another great example of Computer Vision AI and show us how they create the Win-Win-Win we are all seeking, happier travelers, improved economics, and a positive impact on the world.

·  Swayed – is one more example of Computer Vision used alongside other types of AI to help hotels and other travel operators better understand their physical spaces and how travelers utilize them. This provides data and insight at scale in a way historically reserved for anecdotal data, helping companies better understand the why and how of travelers’ needs and perspectives. They will share how to collect new types of data and how to use that to improve our physical spaces.